Project Leadership book for Kogan Page.

7 Keys To Help You Transform From Project Manager To Project Leader

By Susanne Madsen

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed and to contribute to my next book on Project Leadership which has been commissioned by Kogan Page.

The goal of the book is to transform project managers into project leaders. The book aims to do so by shifting the project manager’s predominant managerial, reactive and task oriented mindset into one of empowerment, accountability, risk-taking and proactiveness – and to show them how to better focus on and lead people.

The book will not only describe what project leadership is – and in which ways it is different to project management – but also help the project manager to actually make the transition. It will do so by examining the readers’ strengths, challenges, working patterns and the needs that drive them in addition to providing 7 key strategies to employ. The book will furthermore be referencing a number of inspirational interviews and stories from project management experts and people who themselves have made the transition from overwhelmed and efficient project manager to impactful and effective project leader. And this is where you come in! I intend to use your stories, tips and tools to engage the reader and inspire them to step up and lead.

Your willingness to participate is highly appreciated and you will of course be credited with your name and credentials inside the book.

Below is thelist of questions that I would like you to consider. You may not have something to say on all of them, so feel free to only answer the ones which you feel strongly about. And don’t worry too much about the exact wording. With your permission I will edit your reply and may also have a conversation with you on the phone or over Skype if further clarification is needed. The idea is that I will only bring the most powerful paragraphs and insights inside the book, and that the full interview can be accessed on the book’s dedicated website.

Please send me your response to the following questions as soon as convenient after which we can schedule a follow-up call.

Questions:

  • Which attributes, thinking patterns and actions would you say distinguish an outstanding project manager, or project leader, from an average project manager?
  • Where do project managers most often go wrong? Which mistakes do they make?
  • What are the most severe consequences of these mistakes? Can you provide examples?
  • Do you have any examples or stories you can share where you (or someone else) felt overwhelmed with a project. You didn’t have enough time to do all your tasks, you were fire-fighting, didn’t have anyone to delegate to and as a result you de-prioritised some of the important parts of the project. It may be that you didn’t have enough time to plan the project properly, understand the overall vision of the project, connect with and motivate people, or manage the stakeholders’ expectations? You were simply too busy with the urgent to focus on that which was really important.
  • Can you remember any AHA moments or Eureka moments from your own career where you suddenly ‘got it’? You stepped up, shifted gear and started applying yourself as a leader of people, rather than a manager of events, tasks and processes? Please describe that moment and what it was that made you shift.
  • Can you think of anyone else who you believe experienced such a shift?
  • In which ways do you feel that the recent economic crisis has impacted projects and the required capabilities and expectations which companies have of project managers? Have you seen any evidence that PMs have to pay more attention to business cases, expenditure and identifying innovative ideas for how projects can provide more value to the customer for less money?
  • In which ways do you feel that the emphasis on hard skills in schools and the rational ways in which most westerners have been brought up is impacting project manager’s ability to lead people and deliver successful projects? Are we generally poor at leading people because we haven’t been taught how to inspire and motivate others and how to build great relationships?
  • What are your top tips for project mangers who want to step up, become a authentic and impactful leaders who add real value, build great teams and get results?
  • Do you have any other tips that can help project managers achieve any of the following;
  • become a better people manager
  • build better client relationships
  • deliver business benefits that add sustained value to the client
  • continuously improve, take risks and innovate
  • avoid fire-fighting and instead focus on what is most important
  • become more visionary and inspirational
  • become more assertive and impactful and learn to say no
  • be authentic and honest
  • get better at motivating and empowering a global team (virtual, multi-cultural, matrix team)
  • Is there anything else you haven’t already mentioned which you feel is an important capability or behaviour to project leaders?
  • What is the best way for project managers to grow and develop into leaders?
  • How can organisations and line managers best support their project managers to step up and become leaders?

Many kind regards,

Susanne Madsen

Developing ProjectLeaders

Author of The Project Management Coaching Workbook
Mob: +44 (0) 7939 152 128

Twitter: @SusanneMadsen